Notes from two decades of new construction cleaning
What we find on jobsites after 20 years of new construction cleaning, how we handle it, and what builders and homeowners should know before the final clean.
Blue tape and a marker: how we flag what the contractor needs to see
A final clean is the last close look a building gets before the owner walks it. Here is the flag system we have used for twenty years, and why builders ask for it.
Valerie Hixon · 7 min read
Cleaning limestone without ruining it: what 20 years taught us
Limestone etches on contact with anything acidic, including half the products in a cleaning aisle. How we clean it on a final clean, how we check the seal, and what we tell the homeowner.
Copper sinks, hoods and fixtures: why the wrong cloth costs thousands
Living finishes are meant to change, but not from a fingerprint under a sticker or a scouring pad. How we handle copper, brass, bronze and zinc on a final clean.
Construction dust is not ordinary dust, and why it keeps coming back
Drywall, silica and sawdust behave differently from household dust. Where it hides, why it resettles for weeks, and the order we clean a house to stop it.
Rough, final, touch-up: what a three-phase construction clean looks like
One clean at the end is the most common scheduling mistake we see. How three shorter visits protect finishes, keep the trades moving and make the walkthrough easier.
Window cleaning after construction: stickers, overspray and scratch risk
Why a razor blade on new glass is a gamble, how we remove manufacturer labels and stucco splatter, and the scratch we check for under every sticker.
Grout haze, mortar smears and paint flecks: removing the last of the trades
Each residue needs a different approach and a different wait time. What we can take off safely, and what we flag for the tile setter or painter instead.
Move-in ready means more than clean: our final walkthrough checklist
The checklist we walk with the builder before keys change hands, from appliance film to the inside of the dishwasher filter.
Cleaning a new laboratory building: what we learned at NIH Rocky Mountain Labs
A federal high-containment research facility is not an office building. Access, documentation, lint-free finishes, and how a cleaning crew fits into a GC's commissioning schedule.
Oiled wood, limewash and plaster: the finishes you clean dry first
Water is the wrong first tool for some of the most expensive finishes in a custom home. How we read a finish schedule and clean in the right order.
Need a final clean?
Residential and commercial, Lolo to Darby and Missoula. Or call (406) 240-0033.